Railroad-rail-testing machine



2 Sheets-Sheeb1.

NPETERS. PHOTO-LITHDGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. n. C

2 Sheets-Sheet 2;

G. WEBB. I Railroad-Rail Testing Machine.

Patented Jan. 13, 1880. 5&4.

Illllll IIIIIIIlIIlIIIl/I- MPEIERS, PHOTO LITHOGRAPHEE WASHINGTON. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WEBB, OF J OHNSTOWN PENNSYLVANIA.

RAlLROAD-RAlL-TESTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 223,567, dated January 13, 1880. Application filed J nly 19, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE WEBB, of Johnstown, Gambria county, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements relating to Testing-Machines for Testing Rails and other Railway Materials; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact descripti on thereof.

With the immense consumption of railroadrails, it is commercially of very great importance to be able to determine the ratio which any given material, weight, make, or style of American manufacturers are anxious for a reliable test, and to have it applied.

I propose to test rails under circumstances closely approximating actual practice. I make a circular track of only one rail. I mount over it a horizontal revolving frame, and provided with ordinary car-wheels closely following each other, and capable of being heavily loaded, and having springs with, as nearly as may be, the ordinary action of railroadcar springs. I have devised aconstruction of frame and means for impelling it which will allow for all ordinary imperfections in the mechanical construction of so large and necessarily yielding apparatus.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification, and represent what I consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the whole. Fig. 2 is a plan of a portion on a larger scale. A part of the upper portion is represented as broken away to show the wheels below. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line S S in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section in a plane radial to the entire machine. Fig. 5 is a section of a part at right angles to the section shown in Fig. 4.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

any ordinary or extraordinary. extent without deranging the connection.

Referring to the figures, A is a circle of ballast, approximating as nearly as may be to a fairly-ballasted road-bed; and B, a set of radial timbers, corresponding to the ordinary cross-ties of a railroad-track. On these are mounted, by ordinary means, the rails, m,which are to be tested. These rails may be all of the same make, or they may be varied to any required extent, it being important. of course, if the height of the rails varies at all, that the allowance therefor be skillfully adjusted,

so as not to make any appreciable difl'erence in the elasticity with which they are held.

O is a firmly-planted central post, adapted to serve asa strong and reliable guide to a central hub, l), which is connected by radial arms E to a stout double ring, G G of wood or metal, or of both, strongly connected by cross-pieces from the main body of my revolving frame G. The radial parts E only perform the subordinate function of aiding to keep the frame G properly centered. The wheels H are ordinary car-wheels, fixed on axles h, corresponding to ordinary axles, and carried inboxes I, subject to springs F, and housed in jaws corresponding to these parts in ordinary railroad practice. The axles should all be radial, or. nearly radial, to the frame G, but at a very slight inclination, to prevent the flanges of the wheels from grinding against the rails. The jaws in which the axle-boxes are mounted may be of any ordinary or suitable kind, and may be, if desired, provided with means for adjusting either the outer or inner end of each axle forward or backward while running, so as to promote the smooth running of each wheel without grind ing its flange against the rail more than is ordinarily experienced on straight tracks.

I provide ample means, by framing G for loading the revolving frame G with a sufficient quantity of pig-iron or other convenient material to bring the several wheels to the condition of ordinary railroad work.

The whole may be run either with the moderate speed employed on coal-railroads or with the high speed required for passenger traffic. I produce the power by means of steam raised in boilers and worked through an engine. It imparts the required continuous rotary motion to a driving-wheel, L, mounted on a shaft, l. The periphery of this wheel L en gages with the upper face of the circular plate g on the exterior of the revolving frame G.

I make the contactby pressure on the top of such plate through an elastic coating of wood fixed on the periphery of the wheel L. I can hold up the plate g by a friction-wheel mounted below, thus tending to relieve that point in the frame G from the extra load which would otherwise be imposed by the vertical pressure of the driving-wheel L; but I prefer to avoid such complications.

A sufficient fly-wheel may be employed .to absorb the power during the brief period when the irregularities of the parts might cause the surfaces to be momentarily disengaged. The motion svill be quite uniform after it has been once got up to the proper rate.

I provide means for determining accurately the force required to urge the driving-wheel L down upon the plate 9 to prevent slip. I can by this means learn quite closely the resistance to motion of the apparatus. This is of importance in determining the effect of any given lubricant or the like. The necessity of this determination of the pressure of the frame is caused by reason of its being requisite in order to give the rail being tested at this point a proper allowance over and above all the rest by reason of its having at all times a greater load to carry.

It is also important that the extra load caused by the pressure of the wheel L should be accurately ascertained in order to calculate the said pressure, and to add the same to the gross load of the frame when testing railchairs, joint-fastenings, and other parts of the permanent way, and also when testing wheels, axles, lubricants, journal bearings, &c., in order to ascertain their respective values with regard to strength, endurance,'&c., by this apparatus.

The shaft l is driven by a belt, which communicates power horizontally from a steamengine, (not represented,) so that the pull of the belt exerts no force in the vertical direction, and allows the weight of the shaft and its attachments to be entirely supported on the plate g, except as it shall be partially balanced by the levers P, which turn on fixed centers 19 and support adjustable weights 0. These levers support a portion of the weight tending to depress the drive-wheel L upon the plate g. The entire weight being accurately ascertained by weighingbetorehand, the simple act of subtracting the portion supported by the levers I shows what portion is actually availed of. By shifting the weights Q, gradually outward until the drive-wheel L is just beginning to slip on the plate 9, the force required to apply sufficient frictional adhesion may be found very accurately, and by calculation the approximate resistance of the entire machine is determined.

The large central hub, D, embraces the cen: tral post, 0. One or more of the radial arms E are equipped with proper handrailing or the like, for an attendant to move outward or inward thereon or the whole may be floored over. I have represented the latter.

To reach the center I employ a light footbridge, T, with steps T at the ends. There are two posts, Tflwithin the hollow center, and two other posts, T outside the outer circle. The tops of those posts connect by two trackstringers, T, which, with a proper flooring, T constitute the bridge T. The stringers should be high enough to cleara mans head when he is on the revolving frame Gr. By this means a person may easily go outward to the periphery and back again on the frame G when revolving. It is thus easy to examine the condition of the axle-boxes and supply lubricating material, cool them, if heated, and otherwise attend to the proper working of the apparatus.

I propose as uses for this device absolute as well as relative test of endurance of rails; absolute as well as relative test of endurance of wheels absolute as well as relative test of en durance of axles; absolute as well as relative test of endurance of lubricants; absolute as well. as relative test of endurance of journalbearings; and also test of the functional effect of axles, lubricants, journal-bearings, 850. By means of the counter-weights I can test the relative values of them in moments of fric tion-that is, if one specimen of any one of them requires one thousand pounds friction on the wooden pulley and another only eight hundred pounds, the latteris better by twenty per cent. in actual use.

I can test the effect of elastic chairs and analogous devices by testing rails mounted on such. Other materials, as springs, may also be tested for endurance, c.

Modifications may be made. There may be brakes, and the apparatus may be stopped and started at frequent intervals, if desired; but I believe it will be preferable to maintain a proper high speed continuously, day and night, until the rails give indications of their relative or absolute endurance.

It will be obvious that while the trains of ordinary railroads pass over a given point only at intervals, these rails will be continuously in the condition of the passing of a heavy train, and the nine or other number of rails which are tested together will not only show their relative endurance, but also, making proper allowance for the increased rapidity of the wear, show their actual endurance.

My apparatus may be roofed over orv not, as may be found expedient in practice.

I claim as my invention 1. In a testing-machine for railroad appli= ances, the circular rail-track A B m, composed of a single circle of rail, the corresponding series of wheels H, circular frame G G G G and springs F, with means fordriving by power applied to the periphery of the frame, all substantially as herein specified.

2. In a machine for testing rails, joint-fastenings, wheels, axles, lubricants, journal-bearings, having a revolving frame, G, and wheel H, the ring g, presenting a broad horizontal surface, and the stationary engine, with its driving-wheel L, combined and arranged as and for the purposes described.

3. In combination with the frame Gr, series of car-wheels H, and the circular track m, the friction driving-wheel L, capable of rising and sinking, and means P, Q, for varying and measuring the force urging the friction-surfaces together, so as to determine the amount of friction required to drive, as herein specified.

4. In combination with the revolving frame G and its wheel H, runningon the circular track m, the fixed central post or column, 0, and a fixed bridge or way, T T T, for allowing men to get on and off at the center, where the motion is slight, as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of June, 1879," in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

GEO. WEBB.

Witnesses A. MONTGOMERY, GHAs. H. SUPPEs. 

